By the time the book had been reduced to ash, Hermione was really hungry.
"Ron? Do you want to sneak down to the kitchens with me? I'm starving."
"Sure. Are you sure you're warm enough?" He noticed Hermione's arms were wrapped around her, and she was rubbing them with her hands. Without another word, he slipped his sweatshirt over his head and handed it to Hermione. She hesitated before accepting it and slipping it over her own. It was still warm, and Hermione felt a rush of comfort surge through her. Ron smiled at her and they left the common room for the kitchens.
Hermione and Ron were walking back from the kitchen, their arms full of food when Ron stopped. When Hermione turned to see what he was doing, she saw that he was staring at a circular wooden door with his eyebrow cocked and his eyes questioning. He walked slowly towards the door, and Hermione followed him.
"Ron? Are you alr—" He held his finger to his lips to quiet her, then stepped closer to the door. She stopped as she heard voices coming from the other side of it.
"She doesn't know. Merlin, I hate doing this to her Amy…"
"Harry, Love, you don't like her anymore—you love me."
"I do—but Hermione—and Ron—they are my best friends—I—" He was cut off by what sounded like a very passionate kiss. Ron glared at the door while Hermione stared at him with a shocked expression on her face. She dropped all the food she was holding.
"Did you hear that?" Harry's voice said from the other side of the door.
"Nothing—I heard nothing…" Amy replied, she sounded frustrated. A moment passed before Ron and Hermione heardwhat sounded like a bed creaking. Ron stepped closer to Hermione and put his arm around her shoulders. She looked up at him and shook her head in disbelief.
"Amy, I can't do this. It's wrong—Hermione and Ron are my best friends. Can't we just tell them about us?"
"Harry---"
Ron's grip on Hermione's shoulders tightened. Hermione sighed and bit her bottom lip. It surprised them both when she walked up to the door, put a hand on the knob, and pushed it open.
What they found shocked them. Amy was sitting on a huge bed—a huge unmade bed—a bed that had just been used. Amy was (previous to Hermione barging in on them) lying across the bed in nothing but a t-shirt, and Harry was standing by the bed with his pants, but no shirt on.
"Amy? What the bloody hell is this?" Ron yelled from behind Hermione, dropping all the food he was holding. He walked past Hermione, into the room and stood, towering over a shocked Amy. A biscuit rolled across the floor, finally coming to a halt at Hermione's feet.
"H-Harry?" She said softly, her voice cracking. Ron stopped yelling and turned around. He'd completely forgotten she was there. She stood by the door, pale as a ghost, her shoulders slumped, and her eyes with the look of a woman deceived flashing in them.
"Hermione? I thought you were in bed!" Harry said, jumping off the bed and starting to walk over to her. Within seconds, Ron had bounded across the room, blocking Harry from her.
"You have no right—" Harry said pushing Ron away.
"At this point I have more than you do…" Ron hissed before he swung his arm back and punched Harry square in the jaw. Harry fell to the floor—flabbergasted that his best friend of seven years had just hit him. Amy ran to his side, looking up at Ron with a disgusted look on her face.
"We are so over." She said while she held an angry Harry to her chest. Ron looked at her with his famous—Are you bloody insane?—look.
"No, really? I'd never have guessed." He spat before Hermione came over and put her hand on his shoulder.
"Ron." Everyone stopped and looked up at her. Harry started to walk towards her, but she took a step back.
"Why didn't you just tell me?" She said, looking at him with an odd expression on her face.
"I didn't want to hurt you." Harry replied. They stood staring at each other, expressionless, for a long time.
"Don't worry—you didn't." Hermione whispered, "You only hurt yourself." Hermione slipped her hands behind her neck and unhooked a chain that hung around her neck. A ring was dangling off the end. She let the ring slide off the chain and fall to the floor before hooking it back around her neck. "There's your ring. Don't worry Harry—you didn't hurt me. I'll see you later." She pulled Ron up off the floor and walked out. Before he followed her, Ron turned and looked at Amy, who was still on the floor at Harry's feet. He then turned to Harry.
"She has a bigger heart than you'll ever understand, and you better be happy it isn't broken, or I would have killed you. I hope you're happy with—this." His lip curled as he motioned to Amy. She glared up at him and hissed a curse under her breath as he walked out after Hermione.